Derek's Christmas Carol
by Ghostwriter
Summary: Hunters 3. After arguing with and playing a cruel trick on Casey, Derek receives a ghostly visitor that teaches him things about his stepsister that he never knew.
1. Decorations

DEREK'S CHRISTMAS CAROLE

DISCLAIMER

Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Inspired by Charles' Dickens "A Christmas Carole".

CHAPTER ONE: DECORATIONS

Casey MacDonald hung ornaments on the Christmas tree. On the other side of the tree, Derek Venturi was doing the same. Marti Venturi was sitting at a table, sifting through the ornaments. She picked up a wooden horse.

"This is cool!" she enthused. Casey and Derek turned to the girl.

"What've you got there, Marti?" Derek questioned. Casey's breath caught in her throat and she stepped closer to Derek to stare at the horse. **_A man's laughter rang through the house._**

"What is **that** monstrocity?" Derek jeered. He took it from Marti and twirled it around.

"Dang. This isn't fit to be firewood," he mocked. To his surprise, Casey slugged him and grabbed the ornament from him.

"Ow! What was **that** for?" Derek asked. But Casey didn't answer.

_**"Daddy! Daddy!" a young Casey exclaimed. Steve MacDonald grabbed Casey and spun her around.**_

_**"Hey, kiddo. Got somethin' for you," he said.**_

_**"What? What?" Casey asked. He reached into his pocket and took out a small wooden horse.**_

_**"This is your special ornament. You know why it's so special?" Steve asked.**_

_**"Why?" Casey wondered.**_

_**"Because when you look at it, you can think of me, and know I'll always be with you," Steve stated.**_

"Daddy," Casey said softly. She sniffled. Something wet touched her eyelids and she averted.

"Casey, are you okay?" Marti queried in concern.

"Oh, I'm---I'm fine, Marti. I---I always get a little teary when it comes to this ornament," Casey assured her. Just then, Sam and Dean Winchester came out of their room.

"Hey. I remember when Uncle Steve made that," Sam stated, looking at the horse in Casey's hand.

"Yeah, he was---he was freaking out 'cuz he was scared that Casey wouldn't like it," Dean recalled.

"Little did he know," Casey said, smiling softly.

"You really miss him, don'tcha?" Sam asked softly. Casey wiped away her tears.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," she said. Then, she went back to decorating.


	2. Worry

DISCLAIMER

Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Inspired by Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol".

Sam sighed as he watched as Casey continued to hang ornaments on the Christmas tree. She wasn't really okay. He could feel it.

"You really think J.H. is okay?" Dean questioned.

"No," Sam answered. "She misses Uncle Steve, she's trying to deny it. To be the tough chick," he continued.

"Man, I'm all for avoiding touchy-feely moments, but I'll be the first to admit that I still miss Mom...even after all this time," Dean stated.

"What would she be doing...if she was still alive?" Sam asked quietly.

"For Christmas?" Dean asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"Ah...she'd go all out. Lights, tree, ornaments..." Dean let out a weary sigh.

"I'm sorry. I---I didn't mean---" Dean waved his brother off.

"It's cool. You have questions. It's normal," he assured. They continued to watch their cousin.


	3. Memories

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Butterfly heaven: Thanks. I will.

DISCLAIMER

Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Inspired by Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol".

Meanwhile, Nora and George were in the attic, getting more ornaments. The two grabbed a large box and took it downstairs. With a sigh, the two placed the box on the table.

"Okay, kids. More ornaments," Nora stated.

"Yay!" Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti chorused. Sam and Dean chuckled. They watched as the younger ones took the ornaments and hung them up. Then, Dean was hit with a memory.

_**"Mommy! Daddy!" a young Dean cried happily.**_

_**"Dean," Mary laughed, taking him into her arms.**_

_**"When's Sammy gonna be here?" Dean whined. She and John laughed.**_

_**"Someone can't wait to be a big brother," the woman stated.**_

**_"Can't hardly blame him," was her husband's response._** A jab in the side pulled Dean out of his reverie.

"Dude, you all right?" Sam wondered.

"Fine," Dean answered roughly. Sam watched as everyone chose something to hang on the tree. His mind went back to the last Christmas he had spent with his brother and father.

_**"You boys ready?" John asked.**_

_**"Yes, sir," nineteen-year old Dean and seventeen-year old Sam chorused. The threesome cocked their weapons.**_

_**"Wait until the Sasquatch is right in front of ya," John reminded them. Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. There was a roar!**_

"Derek! Cut it out!" Casey's shrill shriek broke through Sam's daydream. Derek was laughing and holding a wooden dog above his head.

"Derek, stop it!" Casey cried. Derek just laughed.

"Hey, come on, man! Cut it out!" Dean said sharply. For an answer, Derek tossed the ornament through the air.

"Edwin, catch!" he called. The boy went to grab it. However, the dog slipped through his fingers and landed on the floor, shattering.


	4. First Fight

DISCLAIMER

Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Inspired by Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".

Everyone stopped and stared at the wooden pieces.

"Derek! I can't believe what you did!" Casey exclaimed tearfully. She bent down and started collecting the pieces.

"Honestly Derek, did you really have to take it that far?" George scolded.

"It---it was an accident," Derek said. He hadn't meant for the thing to break. It was just supposed to be a joke.

"An accident?" Casey repeated, glaring at him. "I told you to stop! But you never listen! You're such a jerk," she spat out.

"Hey. Don't take it so hard. You can get another one," Edwin said.

"No I can't, Edwin! These were handcrafted! They're one of a kind! And Derek ruined everything. Just like always," Casey snapped. With that, she ran back upstairs.

"Casey!" Sam cried, as he and Dean pursued her. Dean stopped long enough to turn and glare at Derek.

"Way to go, jerk," he snarled, then continued after his brother.

"Poor thing," Nora said sympathetically.

"I agree Derek was a bit out of line, but don't you think Casey overreacted a bit?" George asked.

"No, George. I don't," Nora disagreed. She sighed. "Those ornaments were a gift to Casey from her father. They're very special to her," she continued. The knot in Derek's stomach grew. Her father? Dang. No wonder Casey had gotten so upset.

"I don't get it. Can't he just make her a new one?" Edwin queried. Nora shook her head.

"Why not?" Marti wondered.

"Our father's dead. He died when I was a baby," Lizzie answered. Derek's face paled.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

No, the thing was the ornaments isn't the cruel trick, although it's pretty bad. His trick comes late.r


	5. A Good Cry

SHOUTOUTS\DISCLAIMER

Butterfly heaven (ch 3, 4): Thanks. Glad you're enjoyin' the fic so far.

Dustyn: Thanks. Sorry about that. Thanks. I figured that anything could shatter with the right amount of force. And the dog and horse are different carvings, like a collection sort of thing.

DISCLAIMER

Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Inspired by "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

In her room, Casey flopped down on her bed and started crying.

"Casey?" Sam asked. "Casey, hey," he said softly, as he and Dean came to sit next to her. The girl continued to cry.

"Hey, come on, J.H. Don't let that jerk get to you," Dean encouraged.

"Why does he do this? Why does he always have to ruin everything?" Casey sobbed into her pillow.

"Well, to be fair, he doesn't know about what happened to Uncle Steve," Sam gently reminded her.

"Fair?" Casey repeated, sitting up to look at her cousins. "When has Derek **ever** been fair?" she demanded.

"In the time **we**'**ve** known him?" Dean asked, half-jokingly. Then, at the following glares, "Sorry." Casey sniffled. Then, wiping away her tears. "Oh, wow. I don't believe this. I am such a---"

"Hey, you don't always have to be tough," Sam interrupted. "If you wanna cry, you go right ahead," he continued.

"He's right. You're different than us, J.H. You're more...sensitive," Dean agreed.

"And that could get me killed," Casey stated.

"Hey. Even **Dad** would tell you to have a good cry," Dean reminded her. Casey sniffled.

"I just---I just miss Daddy so much," she sobbed. Then, she threw herself into Sam's arms. He made little shushing noises as he rocked her back and forth.


	6. A Cruel Trick

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Butterfly heaven: Thanks. Yeah, sorry about that. Oh, don't worry. I'm not takin' it as a flame.

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Inspired by "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

Two hours later, Sam and Dean finally came downstairs.

"Is she okay?" Nora asked softly.

"She finally fell asleep. I think the stress of dealing with a new family and the fact that she misses Uncle Steve just got to her," Sam responded.

"What, you took psych at Stanford?" Dean asked.

"Naw, that was Jess," Sam responded. "We would've made quite a pair---psych and pre-law," he continued, smiling wistfully.

"We'll find it, Sam. I promise," Dean stated.

"Yeah, and when we do, Casey's comin' with us," Sam determined.

"I don't know about that," George disagreed.

"No, she wants it. Just as badly as we do," Sam told him. Then, "Where are the other kids?"

"Marti, Lizzie, and Edwin went to sleep, and think Derek's listening to rock through his headphones," George answered. Then, Sam yawned.

"Oh, sorry. Lack of sleep's catching up with **me**," he stated. The brothers went back to their rooms. Meanwhile, Derek listened until he heard everyone go to sleep. Then, he grabbed the ketchup he had taken up to his room after dinner and sneaked into Casey's room. He chuckled to himself as he positioned himself on her bed. This would be great. Yeah, Casey would be upset, but she was so cute when she was mad. The girl moaned a bit and jerked her head to the side. Derek frowned a bit, but shook it off. If she was having a nightmare, she'd probably welcome a distraction. He opened the bottle and let the ketchup drip onto her forehead. Casey moaned, and put her fingers to her head. Derek was suprised when she jerked upright, knocking him to the floor. Then, terrified, she screamed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

To be fair to Derek, he doesn't know that Ricky's dead or how it happened. He's just being a bit of a brat again.


	7. Joke Gone Wrong

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Dancing-through-starz (ch 5, 6): Thanks. I will. Here's more. Maybe she will, maybe she won't. Like I told you in the personal message, "J.H." stands for "Junior Hunter", which they nicknamed her 'cuz she's so much younger than them.

DISCLAIMER

Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Inspired by "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

With another scream, Casey ran from her bedroom. There were mutters and complaints as the rest of the household woke up. Sam and Dean came in from the guestroom and quickly intercepted Casey's mad dash.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"It's back! We gotta get outta here!" Casey shrieked.

"What?" Sam asked sharply. His stomach knotted as he shot his brother a worried look. Could it really be back?

"I'll go check it out," Dean said. He went into the bedroom and flipped on the light.

"Nothing. It's clear," they heard him say a few minutes later.

"It's okay, Casey. It's not back," Sam comforted.

"But I felt it!" Casey said.

"It's okay. No one's on the ceiling," Sam murmured soothingly.

"But---" Casey started to say.

"It''s okay. It didn't take anyone else," Sam interrupted.

"Then, what---" Nora's question fell away as Dean dragged a struggling Derek out of the room.

"Yeah, it's clear. Except for **this** little brat," he snarled, shoving the boy towards his father. He then tossed the ketchup bottle, which George barely caught. It only took a minute for Nora to understand what had happened.

"Derek!" she exclaimed.

"How could you?" Lizzie asked.

"What? It---it---" Derek stammered.

"Derek, you're grounded," Nora interrupted.

"Now, Nora," George interjected.

"It was just a joke," Derek defended himself.

"It was cruel," Sam shot back.

"Man, I'm gonna smack this kid, I swear," Dean growled. Casey whimpered and he turned to his cousin.

"It's okay, Casey. No one's been taken. It was just a mean, sick joke," he said soothingly.

"You two better take her to your room, or she won't be able to fall asleep again," Nora told her nephews.

"You got it," Sam acknowledged. "Come on, Cay. You're sleepin' with us tonight," he continued. With that, the three cousins went back downstairs. Marti tugged on her father's sleeve.

"Daddy, can I go back to bed?" she asked sleepily.

"Of course, honey," was the answer. She stumbled off.

"Boy. All this fuss over a little joke?" Edwin griped. Had he been fully awake, he would've been able to sidestep Lizzie's smack.

"Hey!" he complained.

"Bed. Now," Nora instructed. The boy went off to do so. Derek watched as everyone sent him disapproving glares as they passed.

"Oh, come on! It was just a joke!" he protested. Lizzie placed a well-aimed kick at his shins.

"Ow!" he yelped.

"Jerk! I hate you!" she snapped. Then, everyone went back to their rooms.

"Man, what is **wrong** with everybody? It was just a joke," Derek griped.

"Is that all your sister is to you? A joke?" a voice asked.


	8. What Happened Back Then

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Butterfly Heaven (ch 6, 7): Thanks. Here's more.

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Inspired by Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". And the two scenes are basically from the Supernatural pilot, only with Nora and her daughters. And I believe cell phones came out in 1989. The scene with Nora is in 1990.

Derek whirled around. To his surprise, a woman with blond hair in a shimmering nightgown was standing by his bed.

"How'd you get in here?" She began to answer, but Derek interrupted her. "No. More importantly, who are you?"

"Look, Derek, this isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my Christmas, so don't even mess with me," she snapped.

"How do you know my name?" Derek asked.

"If I do this quickly, I can spend Christmas with the guy I **really** want to," she stated, ignoring him. She went to grab his arm, but he jerked away.

"Hold on! I'm not goin' anywhere with you!" he exclaimed. The woman placed her hands on her hips and glared.

"Well, after the lousy way you treated Casey, I say you don't have any choice in the matter," she snapped. With that, she grabbed Derek's wrist and snapped her fingers. Fog swirled all around. When it lifted, Derek found himself in strange surroundings.

"Wh---where are we?" he wondered.

"Casey's old house," the woman responded. With another snap of her fingers, they materialized inside. A man walked through the house.

"Who is that?" Derek asked in surprise.

"Casey's father," the woman replied.

"Wow. he's so young," Derek noted.

"It's when Lizzie was a baby," the woman stated. The two watched as he walked through the rooms. In the living room, the man noticed his wife---who was still in her work clothes---asleep on the couch. His eyes widened.

"LIZZIE!" he shouted. Surprised, Derek followed Casey's father as he ran up the stairs. Something---Derek didn't see what---grabbed the man and slammed him against the ceiling. Baby Lizzie cried. Derek watched as Nora quickly grabbed her youngest daughter and turned to the older girl, who couldn't be more than three.

"Take your sister outside as fast as you can! Now, Casey! Go!" Nora screamed, placing the baby in her arms. Casey nodded and ran out, her mother close behind. Once outside, the woman pulled out a cell phone from her jeans' pocket and dialed a number.

"John? Something's happened. Something horrible," Nora said shakily. Derek blew out a breath.

"I---I didn't know," he said.

"There's something else you should see," the woman told him. She snapped her fingers a third time and Derek was once again confused by the surroundings.

"Where are we?" Derek wondered.

"This is Casey's old house. A few months before your father got married," the woman answered. They went inside.

"Hey, Lizzie. Is Ricky here?" Casey questioned.

"Upstairs. Mom and I are goin' out for a couple hours," Lizzie responded.

"'Kay. Uncle John will most likely be here soon and Ricky and I will be huntin' with him and Dean," Casey stated.

"Be careful," Lizzie said.

"Always am," Casey responded.

"Okay. Ready to go, sweetie?" Nora said, coming in from the kitchen.

"Uh-huh," Lizzie nodded.

"Now...be good for your Uncle John and do everything he and Dean tell you," Nora reminded her daughter.

"I know, Mom," Casey said. They hugged and Nora and Lizzie were on their way. Casey went up to her bedroom and flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes.

"What's going on?" Derek wondered.

"You don't even recognize the scene which you so cruely imitated?" the woman queried. Derek watched as a drop of blood fell onto her head. With a moan, the girl twisted her neck sideways. Feeling another drip, she opened her eyes. Then, she gasped and her eyes widened.

"NO!" she screamed. Derek followed her gaze to see a sixteen-year old boy with chestnut hair and green eyes pinned to the ceiling, bleeding from his stomach.

"Casey?" they heard a man's voice asked.

"NO! RICKY!" Casey screamed again. There was the sound of running feet. Two men---one who Derek took to be her uncle and the other, Dean---stopped outside her door.

"What the---" Dean's question was interrupted as Ricky exploded into flames. With no further word, Dean raced into the room, grabbed Casey, and dashed out of the house.

"Oh, no. Oh, no," Casey sobbed. Dean held her and made little shushing noises. A knot took place in Derek's stomach and he had to fight the bile that threatened to spill out of his throat.

"I had no idea," he whispered.

"So you **do** care for Casey," the woman stated.

"Of course I do. She's my sister," Derek responded. For the second time that night, fog lifted all around. When it dissipated, Derek found himself back in his bedroom.

"Weird," he stated.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Like I said in a previous fic, I figure ghosts would know about things that go on in their loved one's lives. Any guesses as to who the ghost is? The first few who get it right get Christmas cookies.


	9. Apology

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Butterfly heaven (ch 7, 8): Thanks. Here's more.

Dancing-through-starz: Good guess, but no. As a consolation, you get brownies.

DISCLAIMER

Supernatural belongs to the WB. Life With Derek belongs to the WB. Inspired by Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". I know I'm rushing it, but for this fic, it's already Christmas.

The next morning, Derek was awakened by somebody jumping on his bed. He made an annoyed muttering sound.

"Smerek! Smerek, wake up! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" a voice shouted. Derek yawned and stretched.

"Mmmm. Morning, Smarti," he greeted.

"Come on, come on! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" Marti urged.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming. I'm coming," Derek laughed. He got out of the bed and followed his sister downstairs. As he did so, his mind wandered to the previous night. Had it all been some bizarre dream? Suddenly, he felt something underneath his foot. Curious, he stopped and peered at the floor. His eyes widened. Casey's wooden dog---the one he had shattered---was lying on a step, completely intact, with no signs of breakage. Amazed, he bent down to pick it up.

"Smerek!" Marti cried impatiently.

"Chill out, Smarti. I'm coming," Derek assured her. He then finished coming down the stairs.

"Casey? Can I talk for you a sec?" the boy questioned. Confused, Casey walked up to him. She gasped when she saw the figurine.

"Wha---how---wha---how?" she stammered, taking it in her hands.

"Honestly, I don't know," he confessed. "Casey, I...had no idea about your father or your boyfriend. And I'm really sorry about what I did," he continued.

"Derek---" Casey began.

"No, I mean it. If I had had an **inkling** of what you had gone through, I never would've played such a cruel trick," Derek earnestly stated.

"It's okay," Casey accepted. They walked up to the their family. Then, Sam gasped.


	10. Christmas Surprise

SHOUTOUTS\ANSWERS

Dancing-through-starz: I don't blame you. I mean, hey, I had my last final today.

Butterfly heaven: Thanks. Here's more.

DISCLAIMERS

Life With Derek belongs to Disney. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Inspired by "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

Casey and the others turned around to see a woman with blond hair in a shimmering nightgown. Marti snuggled up to her father in front.

"It's okay. She's not gonna hurt us," Casey assured.

"How do **you** know?" Edwin wondered.

"I just do," Casey responded.

"W---wait. It---it wasn't a dream?" Derek stammered.

"Unbelieveable," Dean stated.

"Jessica?" Sam asked.

"Hi, Sam," Jessica Moore greeted. She walked up to him. He sniffled and gave out a choked laugh. She shushed him and put a hand on his cheek.

"H---how---?" Sam's question trailed off.

"You of all people should know that there are certain days that spirit can cross over to visit loved ones," Jessica answered. Sam choked back a sob.

"Hey, it's Christmas," Jessica scolded. He gave her a shaky smile. All of a sudden, the stereo turned on to the beginning strains of "I'll Be Home For Christmas".

"May I have this dance?" Jess queried.

"Always," Sam answered. They began to dance. Casey smiled and watched them wistfully.

"Hey. Nobody puts Casey in a corner," a voice said. With a soft gasp, Casey whirled around.

"Ricky," she said.

"You like?" Ricky Manning asked.

"Well, you're no Patrick Swayze, but...you'll do," Casey answered. They also began to dance.

"Ricky, I love you," Casey whispered.

"Ditto," Ricky responded. Dean watched as Nora and George began to dance with each other and the rest of the MacDonald and Venturi offspring paired off with each other. Derek and Marti, and Edwin and Lizzie. He sighed. A fluttering near the tree caught his attention. Confused, he turned to see a piece of paper. _Merry Christmas, Dean_ it said. Dean let out a small chuckle.

"Merry Christmas, Mom," he whispered.

THE END

WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT TIME

Next time on _Hunters_: For Christmas vacation, the Venturis, MacDonalds, and Winchesters go to Disneyland. However, the vacation soon turns into a job when the kids discover something in the hotel's swimming pool. Can the family survive their vacation? Find out next on: _Hunters_!


End file.
